Race against the clock
by wolf of infinity
Summary: “You don’t have to pretend… I’m used to being pushed away…” How does the crew react, when they find that Sanji has a serious illness, and is out of medicine... Sanji x Zoro, shounen-ai/yaoi. Oneshot. Angsty and sad.


_Yo! Here's a new fan fiction I wrote! __A Zoro x Sanji this time ^^ Therefore: beware of Shounen-ai/yaoi – though nothing hard-core. If it's not your cup of tea, then just don't read. It's angsty and hopefully sad (he he ^^)_

_Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece or any of it's characters! _

_So, I hope you enjoy the story, and R&R, people! ^^_

_~*~*~__*~_

The usually quiet, peaceful atmosphere in the galley of the _Going Merry_ was tense. For any stranger to the life on the small ship, it would seem normal, yet it wasn't. The tall, lanky man standing by the counter, expertly cutting ingredients for the breakfast didn't falter once, his face expressionless and calm as he worked.

If one looked closer, however, one could notice the slightly rigid and tense position of his back and shoulders, and the way the hand holding the knife was clutched slightly more than usual around the handle of the sharp object.

Finishing up, he served the food and called for the crew to come and eat. As a cook, it was his job and responsibility to see to that his nakama got the nutrients they needed through their food. They never thought about that themselves, and so he had to see to that Luffy didn't have too much meat and too little vegetables, that Chopper didn't eat too much sugar.

The breakfast was, as usual, a chaotic and loud experience, and so, no one noticed Sanji slipping away quietly. Heading back down to the galley, he started looking through the cup boards and shelves. His deep blue eyes narrowed slightly as he didn't find what he was looking for.

Starting to grow a little frantic, he felt his shoulders relax slightly as he finally caught sight of the small bottle he was looking for. Opening it, however, the hidden worry resurfaced as he noticed that there was only one left of the small, pale pills.

Turning the bottle and capturing the pill in his palm, he quickly swallowed it, not bothering with water.

"What are you doing?" If it hadn't been for the fact that he managed to conceal the shock, he'd have jumped. Merely slipping the small bottle into his pocket, he straightened, looking to see Zoro, carrying the dishes down.

"That's my job, you idiot," he sighed heavily with a small frown, taking the dishes from the green-haired swordsman. The dark eyes of the other man narrowed a little.

"Well, you suddenly disappeared, stupid love cook," he retorted grumpily. Turning around he moved to leave the kitchen. However, he stopped halfway, turning back slightly. "You ok…?" the words were hesitant and the nonchalance seemed half-hearted.

"Why wouldn't I be?" Sanji replied with a shrug, starting on the dishes.

"Just forget about it. That's what you get for giving a damn, huh…" Zoro growled, the last part probably not meant for Sanji to hear, as the swordsman stomped out again. Sanji looked up as the door swung shut, looking at the door for a moment, before shaking of his thoughts, turning back to his work.

The dishes didn't take long, even though Sanji moved a bit more slowly than usual, his eyes starting to get a bit unfocused. He shook it of as an after effect of taking the medicine later than usual, putting on the usual smile as he headed up with some morning snacks for the girls.

~*~

When Sanji opened his eyes the next morning, he immediately felt tired, as though he'd been running all night. Standing from his bed in the guys' quarters, he ignored the dizzy spell washing over him as he headed up as silently as he could. The others wouldn't be up yet, he had to get up earlier than the rest to make breakfast.

Moving out on deck, he could vaguely hear Usopp humming lightly from his position in the crow's nest. He made his way to the galley and closed the door quietly behind him as he made his way over to the counter, feeling drained already. Glancing at himself in the small mirror by the opposite wall, he frowned as he noticed how pale he looked.

"Man, you look as handsome as ever…" he muttered sarcastically, turning away with disdain and starting to prepare breakfast, shoving the uneasy feeling away for the time being.

As he finished, he put it on a tray, carrying it out. He'd barely managed to put it on the table before a dizzy spell hit him again and he had to support heavily on the table, taking a shaky breath as he waited for it to pass. Eventually, he managed to stand on his own again.

"Oi, breakfast is ready!" he called for the others, knowing very well the mere mention of food was enough to wake the captain, who would get the others up as well.

"Morning, Sanji," Usopp said as he came down from the crow's nest and sat down at the table, just as Luffy's thundering feet could be heard and the captain seemed to practically leap into his chair as usual.

"Morning," the cook replied, putting on his usual expression and lighting a cigarette, not really hungry. The girls appeared soon after along with Chopper and Zoro. Sanji looked up, meeting with Zoro's dark eyes for a moment, before looking away again.

As usual, no one saw past the stoic mask he put on. Or well, Robin did ask if he felt all right, but he simply replied that he was tired, an excuse everyone accepted. As they finished of, he grabbed the dishes, heading down to the galley again.

As soon as he came down into the galley, his expression slipped into one of pain and he couldn't stop the quiet moan escaping his lips as he moved over to the counter. It took no more than half a second before the world seemed to tilt dangerously, and he hardly heard the piercing shatter of broken dishes as they slipped from his hands.

Hitting the floor with a thud, blinding pain seemed to shoot through his body and his breath hitched in his throat as he could only lay there, trying desperately not to scream as his chest seemed to tighten, as though it was crushed.

"Oi, cook…? What the hell are you doing down here, I heard a cra- Sanji!" running steps followed the shocked voice and Sanji blinked frantically, trying to clear his vision enough to see Zoro's face. Damn, why did he have to collapse…?! The last person he wanted to see him like this was Zoro… now what would he think of him…?

"I'm… all right…" he tried to move, only to gasp in pain, struggling to breathe properly.

"The hell you are…! CHOPPER!"

"I d-don't… need…"

"CHOPPER, GET YOUR ASS DOWN HERE, QUICK!" Zoro ignored him, and Sanji blinked at the tone of the swordsman's voice. He sounded almost… scared. His imagination had to be running wild due to this state.

Sanji tried to move again, but it was like his lungs shut of completely, and he couldn't breathe… his eyes widened slightly due to the searing pain in his lungs, and the desperate hunger for air. His hand moved on it's own, grabbing onto Zoro's arm.

"Sanji…?!"

"C-can't… breathe…" no sound would escape his lips, but he could tell by the pale shade his nakama's face suddenly got, that he'd understood the message.

"Shit… CHOPPER!!!"

Sanji didn't hear anymore, as his lungs burned from the lack of oxygen, and his vision started to fade into black as he heard Zoro calling his name in panic…

~*~

Zoro hadn't been that scared in a long time. What the hell was taking the doctor so long?! He saw Sanji's visible eye glaze over and start to close, as the cook's mouth opened and closed, without use.

"Sanji! Oh, God damn it…" on impulse he bent down, putting his lips to Sanji's as he pinched his nose, blowing air into Sanji's lungs. His lips tasted of tobacco and also slightly metallic… like blood…!

"Zoro, what's going on?!" the others came running, staring in shock as they saw Zoro bend down again, breathing more air into Sanji. If it hadn't been for the situation, Zoro might have been embarrassed. As it was now, his pride was the last thing on his mind.

"Chopper, he collapsed, and he stopped breathing!" Zoro said, before repeating the action. "Come on, shitty cook, breathe, damn it!"

Sanji was terribly pale now, his lips getting a pale blue tint due to lack of oxygen.

"Don't you fucking die on me now, damn it!" Zoro gasped out, a single stray tear running down his cheek as he breathed air into Sanji's lungs again, praying for him to react in some way to the treatment.

As if on cue, Sanji gave a choked wheeze, coughing violently, gasping for air.

"Thank God…!" Chopper came over, and pulled out his doctor equipment quickly. Sanji's breath was still heavy and strained, but at least he managed to breathe on his own, now, and his lips lost the blue tint.

Zoro carried the cook over to the couch, so that Chopper could examine him properly, and no one commented on the fact that he seemed genuinely scared.

Sanji coughed again, and Chopper gasped in shock and worry, ordering Zoro to support the cook into a sitting position, so he could breathe easier.

"He's coughing blood… what the hell is wrong with him?!" Zoro asked, voice a bit shaky as he saw the red line running from the corner of Sanji's lips.

"I… I don't know, I've n-never seen anything like this before…!" Chopper said, looking scared.

A soft moan brought their attention to Sanji again, as the cook's visible eye opened, blinking as he struggled to breathe.

"M-my… medicine… empty…" he gasped out, coughing again and wincing in pain.

"Medicine?! What medicine?!" Zoro asked, shocked. Sanji was on medications…?

"G-garbage… in the… galley…" Sanji managed to get out, voice strained and weak. Luffy immediately ran of and came back soon after with an empty pill bottle. Handing it to Chopper, the doctor read the descriptions on it quickly. His eyes widened and he nearly lost the bottles.

"How long is it since you took the last pill?!" he demanded.

"Y-yesterday… morning…" Sanji whispered.

"What?! This is bad… this is really bad!" Chopper tried to calm down and keep from panicking.

"What? What does he need medications for?! Can't you make more?!" Nami exclaimed. Everyone were extremely worried now.

"These pills are very strong… if he uses these, it means he… he has a really serious illness…"

"Can't you make more?! What's going to happen to him?!" Luffy asked, deadly serious for once, and clearly scared.

"I… I don't have the needed ingredients… But if he d-doesn't… he'll…"

"Die…" Sanji's weak, raspy voice finished the sentence Chopper couldn't utter and everyone turned to see him partly conscious again. "I'll… die…"

"Why the hell didn't you say anything sooner, you idiot?!" Zoro gasped, trembling.

"I'm sorry… I didn't want to… be a b-bother… didn't want you to… think I was… weak…" his voice faded as he slipped into unconsciousness again.

Zoro stared at him, feeling numb and icy cold.

"What's the closest island from here?" he asked Nami, gravely. She seemed to think for a moment.

"According to the villagers on the last island, it's a few hours away," she said quietly, swallowing.

"Then we're heading at full speed there!" Luffy said, his dark eyes unusually serious. "He won't die!"

~*~

_It was dark… everywhere around him, a thick fog seemed to envelop all details and colour that might be there. The air was thick, yet the oxygen was frighteningly thin; it hurt to breathe. _

_Stumbling forward, he felt panic rising in his chest. The silence was overwhelming. Where were the others…? It was never this silent on the going merry… Looking around, he searched frantically for the others, but nothing but the choking fog could be seen._

_Suddenly he saw a glimpse of red and then a straw hat. Relief washed through him as he saw Luffy standing a few feet away. He smiled and started to say something, but his smile died and the words stopped in his throat, as Luffy looked at him, face serious and cold, eyes hard as stones from the shadow of his hat._

"_If I knew you were sick, I wouldn't have let you come, Sanji," the captain said darkly. "You can't come with us any more, we won't have a weakling like you in our crew." Sanji stared at his captain, feeling numb. Once again, he couldn't say anything; it was like his throat was tightening. _

_Suddenly he could see Usopp and Chopper standing beside Luffy, looking at him with disdain. _

"_And to think we actually trusted you and admired you…" they said, eyes hard and spiteful as they stared at him. He could literally feel the way his legs wobbled beneath him, struggling to breathe._

_Robin and Nami were the next to appear, glaring at him. _

"_Nakama, huh? Yeah right, like we'd like to have a weakling like you among us… what do we need a cook for anyway? You're useless!" Nami's words burnt in his chest, sending a new wave of pain through his body. Robin nodded in agreement, looking away, as though the mere sight of him disgusted the dark-haired archaeologist. _

_Then __**he**__ was there… The dark eyes of the swordsman seemed to cut through his heart, tearing it to pieces with their intense hatred and disgust._

"_You disgust me…" the words were quiet and calm, but dripping with malice. No more words were needed, it was clear through those dark eyes, so hypnotizing, and so incredibly hateful. _

_Sanji finally couldn't take anymore. Of all the words, those hurt the most, sending him to his knees in a wave of agony as he lifted his hands, blocking his ears with them, barely aware of the tears rolling down his cheeks at a steady pace._

"_I'm sorry…" he saw them turn around, walking away. He couldn't get up to follow them, couldn't move at all, and only sat there, trying to block the words ringing through his mind. _

"_Don't leave me… I'm sorry… I'm so sorry… I d-don't want to be alone…" he cried, voice breaking into a sob as he watched them disappear in the darkness before the fog tightened around him, choking him and pushing him to the ground._

"_D-don't go… I'm sorry… ZORO!"_

~*~

Zoro startled from his position by Sanji's bed as he watched the blonde, pale man tremble, eyebrows furrowing and cold sweat breaking out on his feverish face. His lips moved, but no sound came out.

Leaning forward, he felt concerned. Sanji seemed to be having a nightmare, maybe due to his fever-induced sleep, breath coming in sharp gasps as something akin to a whimper slipped across his slightly parted lips.

"D-don't leave me… I'm sorry… I d-don't want to be alone…" the cook's breathless words sounded so frightened and weak, Zoro felt his heart break at the sound. Crying in his sleep, Sanji seemed absolutely terrified, breathing harsher and more rapidly, as though he was panicking.

"D-don't go… I'm sorry… ZORO!" his eyes shot open as he gasped the last word, and he sat up quickly. Zoro didn't have time to think before he embraced the blonde, sitting on the bed, and holding the cook tightly to his chest.

"It's ok, Sanji, it's ok… it was just a nightmare," he murmured soothingly, rubbing gentle circles on Sanji's back as Sanji sobbed into his chest, breath coming in pained gasps.

"Z-Zoro…?" he gasped, shock and confusion evident in his voice, along with panic.

"I'm here, Sanji, it's ok," Zoro's voice was soft and gentle, so different from what it usually was when addressing the cook.

To his slight disappointment, Sanji tried to pull away from him, despite having clutched to him, just seconds ago. Had he realized just who it was he had been embracing, and regretted it…? Zoro felt sick to his stomach, and looked away slightly. Sanji's next words made him look up at him abruptly again, though…

"I'm sorry… you h-hate me, don't you…?"

"What…?" Zoro stared in disbelief at the broken man before him, realizing for the first time just how young he looked now that he didn't put up the tough façade. "Sanji, why the hell would I hate you?!" he asked, shocked.

"I'm… such a weakling… useless…" Sanji murmured, tears running down his flushes cheeks as he clenched his eyes shut tightly. "You don't have to… pretend… I'm used to being… pushed away…"

"Sanji…"

"It hurts, though…" the blonde's whisper broke him of, as his visible deep blue eye opened again, meeting his dark eyes, filled with so much pain and self-loathing that Zoro felt numb.

"D-don't… Don't you dare say something like that, you idiot!" Zoro suddenly said, voice sharp and disbelieving. Sanji stared at him. "Don't apologize, you got NOTHING TO APOLOGIZE FOR!!!"

Zoro knew that tears were pressing forth in his own eyes now, making their way down his cheeks as he stood, shaking, but he couldn't care less.

"You're not weak, Sanji, you're one of the strongest guys I know! It's not your fault that you're sick, you're not weak, just because you need medications! I never hated you, and I'm not about to start now, damn it!"

"I…" Sanji seemed to be at a loss of words, swallowing hard.

"I won't push you away, Sanji, so don't you dare leave me either! I'm going to find medicine for you, and you're going to be ok, again! I WON'T LET YOU FUCKING DIE ON ME!" with that he sat down on the bed again, bending forward and pressing his lips gently, yet firmly against Sanji's.

For a moment, Sanji tensed, eyes widening in shock, but then, just as Zoro was about to pull away, he kissed back, before collapsing against the swordsman's chest in exhaustion, breathing hard.

"You're going to be ok, Sanji… I won't leave you… so don't die… I couldn't take that…"

~*~

It seemed like time crawled far too slowly. Zoro sat beside Sanji's bed the whole time, watching with fear as the cook just got sicker and weaker by the minute.

"Land! I SEE LAND!" Usopp's voice drifted in to them and Luffy came running down, telling him that they would reach the docks soon. Zoro felt his hope return slightly, pulse racing as they neared land.

"We don't have time to get the ingredients, we have to get him to a doctor, and pray he has the right medicine!" Chopper said, as he came down, looking at Sanji with solemn concern.

Zoro didn't hesitate, simply lifted the cook into his arms as gently as he could, letting the blonde's head rest against his shoulder as he made his way up on deck, as swiftly and carefully he could.

Together with Robin, Chopper and Luffy, he ran towards the village. Sanji's ragged, weak breathing seemed to get slower, and this made Zoro quicken his speed, as much as he dared without hurting the man in his arms.

"We need a doctor!!!" Luffy shouted at some villagers. They looked at the dying man in Zoro's arms and the soft humming murmur broke the previously peaceful mood.

"The doctor is down there," a woman pointed towards a house further away from the others.

"Thanks," Robin said politely, as they all hurried of towards the house. Even Zoro, who's sense of direction was of the worst kind, could get there without getting lost. Finally, Sanji would be safe!

"Zoro… can't… breathe…" he glanced down at Sanji, who's visible eye was glazed over and distant. He was hardly breathing now, pale as a sheet and with dark circles under his eyes.

"Hold on, Sanji, you'll be safe! Just a little longer! Don't you die on me!"

They reached the house and Zoro all but barged through the door, shouting for help. Everything happened as if in a daze after that. The doctor came and Chopper informed him about the situation.

Zoro felt numb, and could only stand there, everything but Sanji's slow, weak breathing dying out around him. He could vaguely tell that Robin laid a hand on his arm, probably as a means of comfort, but he was out of strength from worrying about the cook.

Walking over to the bed, he sat down on the bedside, taking Sanji's hand in his own as the doctor found the medicine, which he thankfully had around.

He didn't know how long he sat there, but steadily, slowly, Sanji started to breathe easier and some of the colour in his face returned. After buying more of the medicine for Sanji, enough for a long time, they decided to get back to the ship. Hopefully the log would be set already, so they could head out again. They didn't have any business on the island, after all.

Zoro carried Sanji back too, at a slower pace this time.

"Thanks… for not leaving me…" came a soft murmur and he blinked, looking down to meet with Sanji's small, loving smile.

"I would never leave you behind. I love you to fucking much, you stupid love cook." A small smile broke out on his own lips, relief flooding his senses as it suddenly struck him; Sanji would be ok! He was safe! "But next time you start running low, you tell me, ok?!"

"I will… love you too, marimo. My marimo…" with that Sanji's eyes drifted close again as he fell back into a peaceful slumber.

_His marimo… _Zoro really liked the sound of that.

_~*~_

_Owari_

_~*~_


End file.
